1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to dental hand pieces. More particularly, the invention concerns an aspirating dental hand piece having at its distal end a vacuum scoop that circumscribes the work tool and automatically carries away cooling water and debris during operation of the hand piece.
2. Discussion of the Invention
High speed gas driven dental hand pieces are well known in the prior art. Typically such hand pieces include a gas driven motor provided at the distal end of a handle for driving a work tool at high speeds of rotation. During operation of the hand piece, it is necessary to direct a cooling fluid toward the work tool to cool it and the work site and to wash away tooth debris formed during performance of the dental procedure.
In the past, separate aspiration or suction devices have been used to collect the cooling fluid and debris and carry it away from the work site. Generally these devices include an elongated tube having a suction nozzle at one end which is disposed within the patient's mouth proximate the tooth being worked on. These suction devices are generally unwieldy and must be operated by the dental assistant as the dentist performs the dental procedure using the dental hand piece. Accordingly, two people, that is the dentist and the dental assistant, must both be present during the dental procedure.
The present invention overcomes this significant drawback by providing as an integral part of the dental hand piece itself, a suction means for automatically carrying away the cooling water and the dental debris generated during the performance of the dental procedure. Since the dentist is manipulating the hand piece along with the built-in suction means, the dental assistant is not needed and can be performing other important work such as sterilization in accordance with recent OSHA procedures.
The hand piece of one form of the present invention includes a two-part handle. The distal portion of the handle terminates in a suction scoop or shroud within which the gas driven motor is housed. This portion of the handle is uniquely divided into two portions, one of which houses the cooling fluid, gas and fiber optic conduits, and the other of which forms a fluid passageway in communication with the suction scoop for carrying away the cooling fluid and the debris generated during the drilling and grinding operations. Due to the unique design of the suction means of the invention, greater amounts of water than normal can be used to ease the cutting process. The fluid and debris passageway is sealed with respect to the conduit carrying portion of the handle. The proximal portion of the handle, which is removably interconnected with the distal portion by appropriate coupling means, carries the cooling fluid, gas, vacuum and fiber optic input conduits which are, in turn, interconnectable with the conduits carried by the distal portion of the handle upon mutably interconnecting the two portions of the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,221 issued to Knop et al discloses a two part dental hand piece and includes resilient means forming a portion of the means for interconnecting the two parts of the handle. This patent nowhere discloses or suggests the novel suction means of the apparatus of the present invention.
U.S. Patent No. 4,249,896 issued to Kerfoot, Jr. discloses a gas driving dental hand piece having decreased noise and improved vibration damping characteristics. Kerfoot also fails to disclose or suggest any type of integral vacuum system of the character disclosed herein.